Thomson also tweeted a picture of the UN building lit up in bright blue for Diwali and said "Light over darkness, hope over despair, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil - the UN lights up. Happy Diwali!"

The UN Secretariat building will be lit up for Diwali from October 29-31.

It is for the first time that the Indian festival of lights is celebrated at the world body after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in December, 2014 that acknowledged the "significance of Diwali".

Noting that the festival is observed in many UN member states, the resolution had called on UN bodies to avoid holding meetings on Diwali, declaring it a no-meeting day.